Storage container for beer



Sept. 3, 1935. A R. A] wlLKlNs STORAGE CONTAINER FOR BEER Filed oct. 7, 195s Patented Sept. 3, 1935 l UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2,013,325 STORAGE CONTAINER FOR BEER Richard A. Wilkins, Rome, N. Y., assignor to Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated, Rome, N. a corporation of Maryland Application October 7, 1933, Serial No. 692,607 Claims. (Cl. 22o-10) My invention relates to storage containers for tact malt beverages such as beer, and particularly; rode and the avor of the beer to be adversely but not exclusively, to metal beer barrels. affected. 'I'his cracking and ilaking of the pitch 10. As is well known to those skilled in the art. tobediscarded after several months use. 1o

the beer. These metals impart to the beer a the beer, that is to say, affect its brightness",

tic of the presence of metal, and also-'cause' discalled metallic flavor, and are not corroded by coloration of the beer. Tin plate, for example, the beer. Experiments indicate that beer when or an alloy with a 'hightin content, commonly in contact with this alloy will maintain its gives the beer a discoloration commonly termed brightness and original flavor for indefinite 20 tin haze. periods. Further, applicant has found that these Many metals, particularly steel, are subject to alloys may be cast to form various machinable but seriously affects thecolor and avor ofthe thin sheets which may be cold worked, also that 25 other container with lthe beer in contact with The present invention therefore comprehends 30 where no serious corrosion occurs, has resulted rel, made of the above mentioned alloy or lined in the beer losing its brightness accompanied with the same, so as to present a container havby 8 delterlOUS elect 011 the taste 0f the beer. ing an inner surface formed of said alloy. When causing an inferior or unmarketable product. so constructed, if the common practice of pitch- 35 brewer upon receiving the barrels from the barrel experience indicates that the brewer may, if he with so-called brewers pitch. ,t due to the fact the beenl does not corrode the lThe brewerS Ditch iS Commonly applied by alloy, the container so constructed has' an indenplacing it in the barrel in a liquid state and spinnitely long life. pins the barrel for the purpose 0f .coating the The invention is not limited to use in any par- 4s interior surfaces. This expedient has proved to a ticular construction of storage container or barareas due to the fact that every'spot on the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawterior surface is not covered by the pitch, and in ing, in which, Y

the second place, the alternate expansion and Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a beer barrel contraction of the metal, due to temperature the lining of which consists of the improved change, and rough handling of the barrel, cracks metal and flakes the pitch lininr further exposing the Fis. 2 is a. section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1

metaL This results in the beer coming in conon anenlarged scale; an

' together at their rims the drawing at 2l, is then Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively more or less diagrammatic illustrations on an enlarged scale showing details of assembly.

The barrel illustrated in the drawing has an outer shell, preferably of sheet metal, and an inner shell or lining formed of the hereinbefore mentioned copper-silicon alloy.

As shown, the outer shell is formed of two cup-shaped halves I shaped to presentchines 3, the metal at the edges of the chines being bent over circular reinforcing rods 5, and the lateral walls of the shell being corrugated as indicated at I and 9 for imparting stiffness thereto. Similarly, the inner shell or lining is made of two cup-shaped sheet metal halves II, preferably formed by pressing them from a at sheet of the alloy. Y

As illustrated, the cup-shaped halves II of the lining are bent outward at their rims to form flanges I3, while the outer shells I are formed with reduced 'diameter portions I5 having edges which abut `with the inner shells adjacent the flanges. After the V four halves thus formed are placed in assembled relation with the insulating bodies I6 between them, they may be welded to form an integral construction by use of an electric arc and a welding rod` the latter preferably of the same metal as the lining. It will be understood that the welding operation applies a mass I'I of weld around ,these rims, but that the drawing shows the weld joint diagrammatically, and that inpractice the adjacent edges of the outer shell and lining are fused with each other and the weld metal into a more or less homogeneous mass.

An opening in the upper head of the barreL, as viewed in the drawing, may be provided by forming the corresponding head portions of the inner anduterrshells with aligned perforations, and securing in these perforations a screw threaded sleeve I9, which latter is preferably a casting of the same metal as the inner shell.V These perforations conveniently are formed before the barrel is assembled. The sleeve I9 is preferably initially formed, at its inner end, with a ange of yreduced diameter which is inserted in the perforation inthe inner shell and, as shown in' bent downward, by a peening operation, to lie against the inner surface of the inner shell about the edges of thisperforation so as to secure the sleeve to the shell, after which, and -before the inner and outer shells are secured together, the sleeve is welded to the inner shell as indicated at 23. When the shells are assembled the outer end of the sleeve is received by the perforation in the top head of the outer shell, and` is welded thereto as indicated at 25. The opening 21 in the lateral wall of the barrel may be provided by forming the inner and outer shell halves I and II with complementary, semicircular recesses which,v when the shell halves are assembled, form circular openings for receiving a tapered sleeve 29 preferably formed of the same material as the inner shell. As shown, the inner shell or lining is so formed about the circular opening therein as to provide an outwardly extending circular ange 3l, which.` flange is received in the aligned circular opening formed in the cup-shaped dished-in portion 32 of the `outer from 1 to 6% silicon,

shell. After the cu -shaped halves of the two shells are assembled, as hereinbefore described. the sleeve 29 may be inserted in the opening of the iiange 3I and the parts integrally united, as indicated at '33, by use of a welding rod and arc. For reinforcing the sleeve 29 an insert 35 may be provided having a circular opening formed by an inturned flange 31, which insert may be placed over the sleeve and welded thereto as indicated at 39. As shown by Figs. 2 and 4, the insert l5 has a portion extending radially of the sleeve 29, and inclined portions contact with the outer shell substantially entirely about its edges. These edges, as shown, are welded to the outer shell as indicated at 43.

To facilitate easy working of the alloy, and 4to impart other desirable properties, it preferably contains other metals besides copper and silicon.

vFor example, the alloy may contain zinc in amounts between 1 and 5%, or manganese in amounts between'0.5 and 3%, in which cases the alloy may consist exclusively of copper, silicon and zinc, or exclusively of copper, silicon and manganese. If desired, the alloy may contain mixtures of zinc and manganese, within the ranges of approximately 0.5 to 4.5% for zinc and`0.5 to 3% for manganese, so long as the sum of the copper and silicon does not exceed 99%.

In cases where an extremely hard alloy suitable for the purpose is desired, nickel'up to 2% may be employed in addition to the copper and silicon, provided the sum ofthe copper and silicon is not less than and the sum of the copper, silicon and nickel does not exceed 99%, in which case the balance of the alloy is preferably zinc.

I claim:

1. A storage container for beer and the like having the inner surface thereof formed of a copper-silicon alloy containing approximately from 1 to 6% silicon, the sum of the copper and silicon being at least approximately 95% lof said allo 2.y A beer barrel having the inner surface thereof formed as a lining of copper-silicon alloy containing approximately from l to 6% silicon, the

sum of the copper and silicon being at least ap- 4I, so that the insert may 99.5%, the balance of the alloy being manganese.

5. A storage container for beer having the inner surface thereof formed of a copper-silicon alloy containing approximately the sum ofthe copper and silicon being at least approximatelyv 95% of said alloy, the alloy also containing material amounts upto 2% nickel, theSum of the copper, silicon and nickel not exceeding 99%, and the balance being substantially all zinc.

4'rltICI-IARD A. WILKINS.

and the like 4 

